Reporters on the scene of Wednesday’s shooting of two USC students on Raymond Avenue. (Photo by Devin Althschul)
Front photo courtesy of ATVN
Update at 3:26 pm: The victims have been identified as Ying Wu and Ming Qu, both USC engineering graduate students. Both were in the early 20s.
Two USC graduate students — both from China — were shot around 1 am Wednesday morning on Raymond Avenue near West 27th Street.
The woman victim was found slumped over the steering wheel of a new BMW. She had been shot. Her male companion was found lying on the steps of a nearby home; he had one gunshot wound. Both were pronounced dead at the hospital.
Police are looking into several possible motives for the shooting, including an attempted carjacking. However, as the morning went on, police began to suspect it may have been a random act of violence. It’s unclear if the car was moving when the shooting occurred. Police are investigating whether it was a car-to-car shooting or if an assailant walked up to the car.
(Photo by Devin Althschul)
USC released a statement “Our community is saddened and outraged by this callous and meaningless act. Our hearts and prayers go out to the victims’ families and friends and all who knew them at USC. The university is reaching out to those affected, offering counseling and support.”
The statement by Michael L. Jackson, Vice President of Student Affairs and Todd Dickey, Senior Vice President of Administration, also said, “This incident occurred outside the neighborhood areas where over the past several years we have steadily increased our security presence, adding dozens of security and license plate recognition cameras, uniformed officers, and yellow-jacketed security ambassadors. However, tragedies such as this morning’s remind us that we all need to be continuously vigilant about safety and security.”
Annenberg TV News has been on the scene of the shooting since early morning. Click here to see its coverage.
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